NEWS FROM BERLIN

SPK reform: a sigh of relief

With the votes of the CDU and the FDP, the German Bundestag passed a law last Friday on the reform of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), by far the most important cultural institution in the Federal Republic of Germany. The foundation’s institutions will now be given significantly more room for manoeuvre, for example by having their own budgets, as Berlin Minister for Culture Claudia Roth explained during a press conference at the Neues Museum. Roth referred to some of the SPK museums as “sleeping beauties” to which additional life will be breathed. Source: taz

The “firewall:” at least 160,000 people demonstrate in Berlin

Demonstrations against co-operation with the AfD took place in several German cities over the weekend. According to the police, around 160,000 people took part in a large demonstration in Berlin. The organisers counted many more, estimating the number of participants to be up to 250,000. Only around 20,000 demonstrators had initially been expected. Many protesters had placards and banners with them, with messages such as “It’s 5 to 1933” and “No Merz in February.” Due to the large crowds, the police had restricted access to the Konrad Adenauer House and asked the demonstrators to spread out. Source: rbb

Black-red coalition wants to continue austerity programme in Berlin

Berlin is cutting three billion euros in this year’s budget, and more cuts are still on the agenda after that. The Senate wants to save more in 2026 and 2027, with at least around 800 million euros are expected to be cut in the Berlin state budget. According to a report, all Berlin Senate administrations are expected to make cuts. However, the shortfall for education, science and home affairs will likely be smaller than for other departments. The concrete figures are still subject to change, and the pressure to save could even increase. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Merz runs aground

The Bundestag session last Friday was eagerly awaited after the CDU/CSU’s proposals on migration had achieved a majority AfD support and were now up for discussion. Less than a month before the Bundestag elections, the debate became political. After a long interruption and a heated discussion, the bill was rejected with 350 votes against. 338 MPs voted in favour, five MPs abstained. The bill contained measures to curb migration: at its core was the suspension of family reunification for refugees with limited protection status. Source: jW

Germany’s population sees slight growth in 2024

As of December 2024 sat at 83.6 million, the population of Germany, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). As has been the case every year since German reunification in 1990, more people died in Germany in 2024 than were born. The birthrate has however “recently accelerated significantly,” according to a 2024 study by the ifo Institute in Dresden. Population growth is due to immigration: in 2024, between 400,000 and 440,000 people arrived in Germany (based on data up to October 2024). Nevertheless, the same study points out that this is a 34% lower net migration than in 2023. Source: iamexpat

Southern German cities likely to impose a tax for disposable packaging

Germany’s Constitutional Court has overruled a legal complaint lodged by McDonald’s in Tübingen after the city introduced a tax on disposable food packaging, first introduced in 2022. The franchise challenged its legality in an administrative court in Mannheim and won, arguing that it infringed on businesses’ freedom to operate as a vendor, which is protected by German law. The Constitutional Court, Germany’s highest court, has now however sided with the city. Other cities in the region, such as Konstanz, Freiburg and Heidelberg, are expected to enforce similar taxes. Source: iamexpat

Dr. Özgür Özvatan: “Migrant voters can be game changers”

In an interview, Dr. Özgür Özvatan, a sociologist at the Humboldt University, observed that the electorate in Germany is changing – and with it, its political landscape. Özvatan also spoke about voter groups and the established parties. He mentions that “the cohorts after 2000, i.e. after the citizenship reform, are another factor in the migrantisation of the electorate. They will enter the voting age in the 2020s. Therefore, yes, migrant Germans can be game changers with currently more than 15% and they will inevitably be decisive for the outcome of the upcoming federal elections in 2029 and 2033.” Source: islamiq

Michel Friedman: CDU resignation because of Merz

After being a CDU member for 42 years, author Michel Friedman returned his party membership card in protest against the CDU/CSU’s asylum vote with the AfD. He spoke in Wiesbaden about his reasons for doing so, mentioning “a catastrophic turning point for democracy” in Germany. Faction leader and candidate for chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) put his five-point plan for a stricter asylum policy to a vote in the Bundestag on Wednesday, accepting that a majority could only be achieved with the votes of the AfD. Friedman criticizes Merz’s behaviour as “serious mistakes and a breach of promise.” Source: mittelhessen.de

Old-age poverty at record level

In Germany, old-age poverty is affecting more and more retired people. This is according to data from the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, as requested by the BSW parliamentary group. The response shows that around 3.54 million people aged 65 and over are at risk of poverty in Germany. A year-on-year increase of 1.2% to just under a fifth of all older people. The BSW leader Sahra Wagenknecht affirmed pensions are a “mega problem” in Germany, calling for a pension system modelled on that of Austria, where civil servants and the self-employed also pay into the system. Source: jW

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Musk and Weidel at Springer

Elon Musk, oligarch and broadcast-conscious political advisor to US President Donald Trump, is once again being offered a stage by the Springer Group. After Musk was allowed to publish an AfD election recommendation in “Die Welt” in December, he is now to appear as a guest at an “economic summit” organised by the newspaper in Berlin. This gives Musk the opportunity to speak to the country’s business and political elites in a confidential setting. Springer is advertising the event held at the company’s own tower block as a “unique speed dating event with the most exclusive decision-makers in Europe”. Source: taz

Tens of thousands of people demonstrate in Berlin against the shift to the right

Tens of thousands of people gathered on Pariser Platz in Berlin last Saturday as part of a demonstration against the shift to the right. The organisers spoke of around 100,000 participants, the police of up to 35,000 at around 5:40 pm. Christoph Bautz, founder of the Campact organisation and one of the initiators of the demonstration, called for the democratic parties’ firewall against cooperation with the AfD to be maintained. He made a direct appeal to CDU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz: if he seeks a joint majority with the AfD on migration issues, then “an uprising of the decent will break out in this country,” affirmed Bautz. Source: rbb

Displacement in Wedding: the “Kulturhof Kolonie 10”

The “Kulturhof at Koloniestraße 10” in Wedding is a special place. Over the last 30 years, a biotope for animals and plants has been created in the former haulage yard. It is essentially a small oasis in Berlin. The new owner of the site has no plans to preserve that haven, though, rather planning on building micro-apartments. To push this through, it has even been taking legal action against the neighbourhood protection order before the Higher Administrative Court last year – without success. The controversial model of temporary living is offered on the so-called “Campus Viva 2”, and it allows the rent cap to be circumvented. Source: Berliner Zeitung

Activists allegedly projected Musk’s alleged Hitler salute onto Tesla factory

Campaign groups have apparently projected a photo of Elon Musk onto the façade of the Tesla car manufacturer in Grünheide, where he gives an alleged Hitler salute during his defence of Trump. Above it, the word “Heil” is illuminated in a similar font to the word “Tesla” in neon lettering. Videos showing further images of Elon Musk can also be found on social networks. Groups such as the “Centre for Political Beauty” and the British campaign group “Led by Donkeys” are said to be behind the campaign. They are said to have used projector technology to beam images and videos onto the façade of the factory. Source: rbb

Teacher who slapped student charged

On 9 October 2023, two days after the Hamas attacks in southern Israel, the teacher Andre T. at Ernst Abbe High School, in Berlin, slapped the then 15-year-old pupil in the face with the flat of his hand in front of rolling mobile phone cameras. The pupil had previously shown a Palestinian flag. When the teacher asked him to take it down, he refused – and kicked the teacher after the slap. The public prosecutor’s office accused the teacher of assault in office and had originally demanded a fine of 3,000 euros, but is also accusing his client, who had to change schools, of assault – because of the kick. Source: jungewelt

NEWS FROM GERMANY

CDU politician calls for coalition with the AfD

Saskia Ludwig (CDU) has called for a coalition between her party and the AfD, in the event of a majority after the new elections. “If over 50 per cent vote centre-right, then there must also be a centre-right government for the citizens,” she told local broadcaster “tvberlin”. In this context, Ludwig described the Union’s “firewall” to the AfD and the left, proclaimed by Union chancellor candidate and CDU leader Friedrich Merz, as “deeply undemocratic.” In 2021, CDU leader Friedrich Merz said before his election as party chairman: “With me, there will be a firewall to the AfD.” Source: t-online

German federal election: more new citizens than ever

In Germany’s snap election on February 23, there will be more new citizens and first-time voters than ever before in the history of the country, according to “Focus” magazine. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for instance, around 121,260 more residents have German citizenship than the last time voters went to the polls in 2021. Only German citizens over 18 are eligible to vote in federal elections. Among the reasons for more voters, is the fact that 2023 marked eight years since many Syrian citizens arrived in Germany as refugees in 2015, and until summer 2024, eight years of residence in Germany was a requirement for attaining citizenship. Source: iamexpat

Neo-Nazis are getting younger and younger

Before the large demonstration against right-wing extremism in Kassel, neo-Nazis mobilised for a counter-protest. Among them were mainly young people. On Instagram, you see them dressed in black in front of the Himmelsstürmer at the Kulturbahnhof, and some of them showing a circle with their thumb and index finger and spread out fingers. The white power sign is a code of the far-right scene. According to right-wing extremism expert Sascha Schmidt, the mobilisation for the counter-protest, which ultimately failed to materialise, came from two new groups that had not previously made an appearance in Hesse: “Jung Stark Hessen” and “Deutsche Jugend voran”. Source: hna

Several mosques in NRW receive bomb threats

A bomb threat was received at Duisburg’s central mosque on Warbruckstraße last week on Thursday night. The related email´s content threatens against Muslims, saying that they should leave Germany if there were to be no deaths. The police reacted quickly, evacuating the mosque and cordoning off the area. The building was searched with the help of explosives detection dogs. No suspicious objects were found. The central mosque in Cologne and the central mosque in Essen were also affected by similar threatening letters. The investigations are ongoing. Source: islamiq

A new German hardness

Just under four weeks before the federal elections, the CDU/CSU has now submitted two draft motions for the Bundestag, which are intended to bring about a “turnaround in migration policy”. They are to be passed by the Bundestag next week. A majority is considered unlikely, but would be possible if the CDU/CSU, AfD, BSW and FDP vote together. The “current asylum and immigration policy jeopardises the security” of citizens and the “trust of society as a whole in the state”, according to the shorter of those two drafts, which also make reference to the recent knife attack in Aschaffenburg. Source: jungewelt

Bavaria out of control

Lisa Poettinger already suspected what was in store for her. A few months ago, the trainee teacher stated in an interview how the Bavarian state reacted to her involvement in “Extinction Rebellion”, sending members of the Bavarian State Security Service to her home. An act that was intended to convey an unmistakable warning, meaning if you stand up for climate protection in this way, it will ruin your future. Four years later, the Free State made good on its threat. Poettinger, who has now completed her studies, is not allowed to start her traineeship. Source: taz

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Association calls for the AfD to be excluded from Holocaust commemorations

The Berlin Association of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime – League of Anti-Fascists (VVN -BdA) is calling on politicians to exclude the AfD from the Holocaust commemorations on 27 January. This day marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp. The AfD is using its participation in commemorative events to present itself as a supposedly normal democratic party, the association explained. At the same time, as an extreme right-wing party, it is conducting a fundamental attack on the culture of remembrance in Germany. The Association is also calling for 8 May to be declared a public holiday: “This is long overdue.” Source: juedische allgemeine

Deutsche Bahn announces replacement services and diversions on the Berlin-Hamburg route

The railway line between Berlin and Hamburg will be renovated from August this year until April 2026. During the refurbishment, DB plans to deploy more than 170 buses to cushion the impact of the line closure. Long-distance trains will then be rerouted via Stendal, Salzwedel and Uelzen. For passengers, this will mean a 45-minute longer journey time. In local transport, some regional lines will be rerouted. 180 kilometres of track and 28 stations along the route will be renovated. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

It’s going to be tight

The deadlines for postal voting are so short that Germans abroad may not be able to cast their vote. Because of the early election, everything must happen quickly, and postal voting is the only way for Germans abroad to cast their vote. But they must first register on the electoral roll and can only apply for postal voting on the Federal Returning Officer’s website until 2 February. In order to be counted, all documents must be in the ballot boxes of the relevant constituencies by 6 pm on the day of the Bundestag election, 23 February. Source: taz

AfD adopts election manifesto: for remigration and against Islamisation

The AfD has adopted key points of its programme for the federal elections. The focus is on a stricter migration policy under the term “remigration,” withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, and the reintroduction of a national currency. The party is also calling for the Nord Stream pipelines to be repaired, an easing of sanctions against Russia, and the reactivation of compulsory military service. Issues such as maintaining the debt brake, abandoning compulsory vaccination, and stricter regulations for social benefits underline the party’s programme, and the election manifesto also devotes a great deal of space to the topics of Islam and integration. Source: islamiq

Bremen youth centre: 3 men on trial for arson attack

A fire was set at the Friese youth centre in the Bremen district during a concert in 2020, when more than 30 people were in the building. All three defendants have links to the far-right scene. According to the indictment, three of the victims suffered smoke inhalation and other injuries. The property damage is estimated at around 180,000 euros. The secondary prosecution accuses the investigating authorities of not having investigated with sufficient vigour – for instance, investigators only searched the defendants’ flats a year and a half later. Source: buten un binnen

AfD investigated for distributing “deportation tickets” for migrants

German police are investigating a local branch of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party after people from migrant communities in Karlsruhe found AfD-branded “deportation tickets” in their letterboxes. An article in the local newspaper Badische Neueste Nachrichten pointed out that the ticket campaign resembles a similar action by the neo-Nazi NPD in 2013, during which the NPD’s branch in Berlin distributed “journey home tickets” to discourage candidates with migrant backgrounds from standing in the election. Marc Bernhard (AfD) declared for the German public broadcaster SWR that such “deportation tickets” had also been given out at election stands and at the party’s conference in Saxony on January 11 and 12. Source: iamexpat

Record year for German wind energy despite AfD criticism

According to the German industry’s latest figures, the most important source of electricity generation in the country received a major boost in 2024. The regulatory authorities approved more than 2,400 new onshore wind turbines with a total capacity of around 14 gigawatts: a record figure, according to a new report by the German Wind Energy Association and VDMA Power Systems, the association for power plant technology. However, despite the positive figures, the AfD rejects German energy policy and wind energy in particular a central part of its election campaign. Alice Weidel (AfD) considers renewable energies to be “fluttering electricity” and wants nuclear power instead. Source: dw

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Blows, kicks, pepper

Just as last year, police brutally was again present at the annual demonstration in memory of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg in Berlin on Sunday. The attack took place shortly after the start of the demonstration on Frankfurter Allee and was mainly directed against a block of communist youth organisations and the Palestine Solidarity block. Police officers kicked, punched and used pepper spray. Several people were injured and had to be treated by paramedics. Berlin Left Party MP Ferat Koçak, who was present as a parliamentary observer, affirmed that at least four people, including two minors, had to be hospitalised. Source: junge welt

BVG: ver.di demands a pay rise

The bottleneck effects on operations and the workforce are key issues for ver.di in the upcoming collective bargaining round with BVG. The union had already published its demands in October. With 16,000 employees, Europe’s largest public transport company is also Berlin’s 4th largest employer, but ranks last among all public transport companies in Germany when it comes to pay for drivers. BVG and ver.di will meet for the first round of negotiations as early as next Wednesday. BVG explained to “nd” that “on the first day of negotiations, as is usual in collective bargaining, positions will be exchanged.” However, it did not mention any offer it may have planned. Source: nd-aktuell

 

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Habeck on Syrian refugees: “Those who don’t work will have to leave”

For the Greens’ candidate for chancellor in the upcoming election, Robert Habeck, work is the key criterion for giving Syrian refugees a prospect to remain in Germany. “We can make good use of those who work here,” he said on Deutschlandfunk radio. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) had previously said something similar, citing education and good integration as criteria. Opposition came from the Green Youth. “Regardless of whether people from Syria work, go to school or raise children: they should be allowed to stay,” said the head of the Green youth organisation, Jette Nietzard, to the news portal “Politico”. “We must stand up for human rights at all times.” Source: Stern

Riesa: resistance despite freezing cold and police violence

The AfD federal party conference in Riesa was disrupted by 15,000 protesters. The police have come under criticism for operations undertaken while policing the protests, which often degenerated into completely disproportionate violence. For instance, a video went viral on social media showing a police dog handler setting a German shepherd on a fleeing demonstrator. The animal looked though as if it is not in the mood for assaulting. There was too an incident in which Nam Duy Nguyen, a member of parliament for the Left Party in Saxony, who was travelling with a clearly marked group of parliamentary observers, was nevertheless overrun and knocked unconscious by police officers. Source: nd-aktuell

What the new property tax could mean for tenants

According to the German Civil Code, property owners are allowed to pass on the full amount of property tax to their tenants. And, because these taxes were based on data from as far back as 1964, some updates are required, as pointed out by Wibke Werner, Managing Director of the Berlin Tenants’ Association. Considered factors include the standard land value, the plot area, the average living space and an average rent level. However, housing companies, such as Degewo, have lodged appeals against some property tax assessments, since the amount reflects potential rental income, which may not be realised in some state-owned housing associations. Source: rbb

“Junge Alternative”, from the AfD, complains about a new party´s offspring

The AfD’s former youth organisation, “Junge Alternative” (JA), is furious with its parent party. In Riesa, the party decided to create a new offshot for young party members. “Traitor lists” are said to already be circulating in the JA. Previously, the AfD stated that the “JA” was an independent association from the party. However, the AfD´s current youth organisation is legally a part of the party. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is monitoring the “JA” as a proven right-wing extremist organisation, and the AfD itself has so far only been a “suspected case” at the federal level. Source: n-tv

Number of asylum applications falling across Europe – Germany remains first

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) in Nuremberg announced that in 2024 there were 229,751 new applications in Germany. The majority from applicants came from Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey. Compared to 2023, almost 100,000 fewer people applied for asylum – a decrease of 30.2 per cent. However, within the European Union, Germany is by far the frontrunner when it comes to asylum applications. It is followed by Spain with 165,398 asylum applications, France with 158,512 and Italy with 154,824 applications. Hungary brings up the rear with only 29 new asylum applications in the whole of 2024. Source: faz

Pistorius hands over state-of-the-art wheeled howitzer to Ukraine

In its defence campaign, Ukraine has received a new weapon system from Germany: the first of 54 ultra-modern RCH 155 wheeled howitzers (an artillery weapon). The country can “count on us. Germany is ready to assume responsibility in Europe,” said Federal Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD). The system can be operated remotely, and it is to be manned by two soldiers. Meanwhile, the EU Commission is increasing its humanitarian aid for people affected by the war in Ukraine by a further 148 million euros. According to the Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, the money is intended to keep the Ukrainians warm in “this harsh winter.” Source: dw

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Oyoun closes its doors

The Berlin art and cultural centre “Oyoun” closed its premises on the last day of 2024. “We’re out now,” says Louna Sbou, Oyoun’s director. The place had been the subject of a fierce debate about freedom of art and expression, unfounded accusations of antisemitism and the role of the state in cultural funding for more than a year. The conflict is still smouldering. There was actually a deal between Oyoun and the Senate Department for Culture, with the cultural centre supposed to withdraw an appeal. But the deal is in danger of collapsing. It’s not clear exactly what will happen next, adds Sbou. Source: nd

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Non-profit status and constitution protection report

The denial of non-profit status for an organization on the presumption of being extremist can happen due to the promotion of anti-constitutional endeavours. The plaintiff in a case at the Feder Fiscal Court, an association, was an independent state organization, with a partially identical name to the name of another federal organisation. Reports on the protection of the constitution of one state contained statements on both organisations, and the appendix of some of these reports, containing extremist organisations, only listed the identical part of the name and the abbreviation. Nevertheless, the tax office (FA) denied the plaintiff the corporation tax exemption for non-profit organisations.  Source: haufe

The CSU’s migration paper

The CSU has presented a new migration paper ahead of its conference in Kloster Seeon. Under the name “Security Plan for a Law-and-Order Germany,” the sister party of the CDU demands that migrants should only be allowed to stay if they earn an “adequate” income. The plan thus goes much further than the joint CDU/CSU election programme. Subsidiary protection is also to be abolished. According to Bild, the party also plans to consistently deport people who have committed criminal offences or to detain them indefinitely. The CSU would also like to introduce the storage of IP addresses to prevent serious offences such as terrorist attacks. Source: focus

More attacks on migrants

Since the attack in Magdeburg, the violence against people with a migration background has not stopped. According to taz, Magdeburg police said that 9 cases of attacks on “people perceived as migrants” have been reported since 20 December. Five of these were assaults and four were incitement to hatred or insults. Suspects have been identified in 2 of the cases. According to those affected, there has been a threatening climate towards migrants in Magdeburg since the attack at its Christmas market. The police have increased their patrol presence. The State Secretary and Integration Commissioner of the Saxony-Anhalt state government, Susi Möbbeck (SPD), has since warned against racist violence. Source: taz

AfD national party conference in Riesa: police prepare large-scale operation

On the coming 11 and 12 January 2025, the AfD plans to hold its national party conference at the WT Energiesysteme Arena in Riesa. The party wants to set the course for the early federal election on February 23 at the meeting. Up to 10,000 demonstrators are also expected to arrive from all over Germany. The Dresden police department is preparing a large-scale operation. It will be supported by forces from several federal states. A nationwide action alliance wants to peacefully inhibit the AfD national party conference. Mass civil disobedience actions are planned, as explained by the action alliance widersetzen. Source: saechsische

555 neo-Nazis wanted on outstanding arrest warrants

The number of unexecuted arrest warrants against neo-Nazis remains high: 730 arrest warrants had not been executed as of 30 September 2024. This is according to the answers provided by the Federal Ministry of the Interior to an inquiry by Left Party MP Martina Renner. Also, 555 neo-Nazis remain at large despite outstanding arrest warrants. 136 of these right-wing extremists are wanted for violent offences, and there were even several arrest warrants for violent offences against 19 of them. The Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) claims that police searches were initiated in all cases. Source: taz

Inflation rate picks up again at the end of the year

The rise in prices in Germany slowed considerably last year. However, the statisticians report an unexpectedly strong increase for the end of the year. Consumer prices in Germany rose unexpectedly sharply in December: according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, the inflation rate in the last month of last year was 2.6% compared to the same month of the previous year. Also, due to several one-off effects, there is still no sign of inflation easing in January: in the current month, the increased CO2 price and the more expensive Deutschlandticket are likely to push the rate up again. Source: n-tv